King Kong (2005): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
King Kong is a 2005 adventure drama directed by Peter Jackson, starring Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. It runs 3 hours 7 minutes and earned $556.9 million worldwide on a $207 million budget. It won 3 Oscars, including Sound Editing and Sound Mixing, and 5 awards in all. Critics gave it 84% on Rotten Tomatoes and 81 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.2/10.
- Released
- Runtime
- 3h 7m (187 min)
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Original language
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English - Studio
- Universal Pictures
- Budget
- $207M
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is King Kong About?
The premise of King Kong without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A filmmaker's ambition leads an expedition to a remote island where the line between reality and myth disappears. Carl Denham's crew seeks cinematic glory but encounters a primal world dominated by a giant ape, Kong. Actress Ann Darrow finds herself caught between the human world and the dangerous realm of the magnificent Kong, facing peril and a captivating connection with the island's powerful guardian.
King Kong Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- gorilla
- island
- new york city
- color remake of black and white film
- jungle
- expedition
- giant ape
- remake of cult film
- barefoot woman
- monster movie
- giant spider
- broadway manhattan new york city
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- giant insect
- monster
- playwright
- journey
- play
- rescue
- tyrannosaurus rex
- human animal relationship
- ape abducts a woman
- empire state building manhattan new york city
- remake of remake
- 1930s
- kaiju
- eighth wonder of the world
- dinosaur
- giant monster
- giant gorilla
- centipede
- epic adventure
- death of protagonist
- perilous escape
- airplane
- barefoot
- escaped animal
- climbing a building
- giant monster sci fi
- jungle adventure
- dinosaur adventure
- island adventure
- urban adventure
- globetrotting adventure
- map
- death of title character
- drawbridge
- cartwheel
- starving
- lifting a woman into the air
- escaped beast
King Kong Cast
Naomi Watts leads the cast, with Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Directed by Peter Jackson.
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Director Peter Jackson
More from Peter Jackson
More films directed by Peter Jackson, best-rated first: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, They Shall Not Grow Old and Heavenly Creatures.
King Kong Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave King Kong 84% on Rotten Tomatoes and 81 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.2/10.
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IMDb 7.2 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 84% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 50%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 81 Metascore
User score 7.8
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 69% User score
See on TMDB
King Kong Plot Summary
What happens in King Kong from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In the spring of 1933, amid the turmoil of the Great Depression in New York City, Ann Darrow (played by Naomi Watts) finds herself without a job after losing her position as a vaudeville actress. However, her fortune changes when she is recruited by the distressed filmmaker Carl Denham (portrayed by Jack Black) to star in his upcoming movie. The excitement spikes for Ann when she discovers that her beloved playwright, Jack Driscoll (depicted by Adrien Brody), is the screenwriter for the film.
As the crew embarks on their voyage aboard the SS Venture to the enigmatic Skull Island, a romantic bond blossoms between Ann and Jack. However, Captain Englehorn (Thomas Kretschmann) starts to lose confidence in the journey due to the crew’s ominous predictions of impending trouble.
Full summary
The whole story of King Kong, scene by scene
King Kong Box Office & Budget
King Kong grossed $556.9 million worldwide on a $207 million budget, 2.7 times what it cost. $218.1 million came from the US and Canada and $338.8 million (61%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$556.9M
2.7× its budget
- US & Canada
- $218.1M
- International
- $338.8M
- Budget
- $207M
King Kong Awards & Nominations
King Kong won 3 Oscars, including Sound Editing and Sound Mixing, and 5 awards in all. Its biggest night was the Oscars 2006, with 3 wins from 4 nominations.
5 wins12 nominations5 ceremonies
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Oscars 2006 3 wins · 4 nominations- Won Sound Editing
- Won Sound Mixing
- Won Visual Effects
- Nominated Art Direction
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BAFTA 2006 1 win · 3 nominations- Won Best Special Visual Effects
- Nominated Best Production Design
- Nominated Best Sound
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Saturn Awards 2006 1 win · 1 nomination- Won Best Actress – Naomi Watts
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Critics' Choice 2006 2 nominations- Nominated Best Director – Peter Jackson
- Nominated Best Picture
Show all 5 ceremonies Show fewer ceremonies
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Golden Globes 2006 2 nominations- Nominated Best Director – Motion Picture – Peter Jackson
- Nominated Best Original Score – Motion Picture
King Kong Trailers & Videos
13 videos: 1 trailer, 6 clips, 3 featurettes and 3 behind-the-scenes videos.
- Clip V. Rex Fight
- Clip Jack Black Pitches Shooting on Skull Island
- Clip Kong Breaks Free - Extended Preview
- Clip Trapped in a Pit of Giant Bugs in 4K HDR
How Well Do You Know King Kong?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
In what year does the events of King Kong take place?
Cars in King Kong
64 cars on screen, including the 1929 Dodge Brothers Six and the 1930 Ford Model A.
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1929 Dodge Brothers Six Important role -
1930 Ford Model A Important role -
1924 Ace Four Minor role -
1927 Chevrolet Capitol Minor role
King Kong Also Known As
15 alternative titles, including “金剛” and “کینگ کنگ”.
- Also known as
-
- 金剛
- کینگ کنگ
- キング・コング：2005
- Кинг Конг
- Κινγκ Κονγκ
- 金刚
- คิงคอง
- קינג קונג
- کینگ کونگ
- 킹콩
- Кінг Конг
- King Kongas
+3 more Show fewer
- キング・コング
- किंग काँग
- كينج كونج, კინგ კონგი
Seen King Kong?
Movies Like King Kong
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including King Kong, King Kong and King Kong Escapes.
King Kong FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of King Kong, each answered in a sentence.
How long is King Kong?
King Kong runs 3 hours 7 minutes (187 minutes).
When was King Kong released?
King Kong was released on December 14, 2005.
Who directed King Kong?
King Kong was directed by Peter Jackson.
More films by Peter Jackson Who is in the cast of King Kong?
King Kong stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody.
How much did King Kong make at the box office?
King Kong grossed $556.9 million worldwide ($218.1 million domestic, $338.8 million international) on a budget of $207 million.
How is King Kong rated?
King Kong has 7.2/10 on IMDb, 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, 81 on Metacritic and 69% on TMDB.
What awards did King Kong win?
King Kong won 5 awards from 12 nominations, including Sound Editing at the Oscars 2006.
Does King Kong have a post-credit scene?
No. King Kong has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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